Bondolio wins Best of Show at the California State Fair. What happened at the California State Fair? How did Bondolio win Best of Show? It was not easy. Bondolio had to undergo 4 separate competitions. Here’s the workflow that Bondolio had to do: First, Bondolio had to wind gold as Best of Artisan EVOO (producers of less than 5,000 gallons EVOO per year). Next, the win in the Artisan competition advanced Bondolio to the next level, competition of Class. Bondolio won gold as Best of Class of olive cultivars other than the conventional California varietals. Bondolio then advanced to the next level of judging, the medium body EVOO Division. Bondolio won gold as Best of Division. The 3rd gold medal pushed Bondolio into the ultimate judging, Best of Show. Bondolio won gold as Best of Show in the California Extra Virgin Olive Oil competition. Only one Best of Show is awarded in each year’s competition. We are honored and humbled by the results at the California State...

We love all things Italian—including, of course, olive oil. Unfortunately, according to the American Olive Oil Producers Association, as much as 75 percent of the extra virgin olive oil that is imported from Italy to the United States is unpure. The Italian Mafia is to blame: the Mob takes pure olive oil and cuts it with cheaper oils, then sells it at the higher price and pockets the extra cash. In light of stories highlighting the health hazards of adulterated extra virgin olive oil—from the 60 Minutes exposé to author Tom Mueller’s book Extra Virginity—many Americans have started sourcing the staple ingredient domestically. Loaded with antioxidants and healthy fats, extra virgin olive oil is now being produced in the States at a rate like never before. Last year, California, the leading American producer of olive oil, churned out four million gallons—more than 10 times the amount the state produced in 2004. Olive trees are now also grown in Texas, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Alabama, and Hawaii (on the island of Maui). With so many olive orchards, Americans can find a new pastime: olive oil tasting. Here, nine orchards that make their own EVOO and are gorgeous getaways, too. Bondolio Olive Oil With its red clay tile roof and decorative Italian-style clay pots, Bondolio Olive Oil looks like a slice of Italy. Karen Bond and her husband Malcolm turned this former almond farm into an olive orchard after a trip to southern Italy. Then they imported and quarantined 1,200 Sicilian trees for two years before they harvested their first crop in 2009. It’s just under an 11-mile bike...

Early this morning, Karen called our friends in Modena Italy – at the end of the call a bit of heaven in the form of parmigiano and balsamic were on their way to Bondolio. If you have not tried either of these, you are in for a Bondolio treat. A couple years ago Karen, being Karen, did a lot of tastings in the countryside around Parma & Modena and selected a couple families products as being the best in class cheese and balsamic. Now these families are good friends and reliably send excellent product to us. If you need either or both, drop us a line and we will set some aside for you. ...

Leading up to the Winter Fancy Food meeting at the Moscone was the Good Food Mercantile held at Fort Mason along the San Francisco Bay shoreline next to the marina. Bondolio was present with a booth and along with Karen was Chance Grossman, a very talented freshly minted college grad and pilot. Unlike the Fancy Food meeting which is open to the public, the Good Food Mercantile is billed as an un-trade show for tasty, authentic, responsible food. It is a one-day, intimate gathering of like-minded food crafters and retailers with a focus on building commerce and community. The goal of the gathering is to honor people who make food that is delicious, respectful of the environment, and connected to communities and cultural traditions. It was a busy meeting for sure. And the highlight for Bondolio was a visit to the booth by an idol of Karen, Alice Waters. ...

Karen injured her left knee during strength training class. Turned out to be a torn meniscus. For Karen, there is only one place on earth to have a knee or shoulder procedure, the Steadman Clinic in Vail. In this photo, Karen is 24 hours post op and on her way to grab something to eat in between the twice daily rehabilitation. Rehab of her knee started the very next day with physical therapy, cryo therapy and stationary bike exercise....

December 13 is just around the corner – plan part of your day at Bondolio and enjoy the Bondolio pizza oven which will be fired up the day before to be ready to toss out pizzas faster than you can say mozzarella; nuovo olio will be drizzling on just about everything; new balsamic treats will be available for tasting; and the mill will be open for touring – promising a fun time at the farm for one and...

Here’s a snap of Karen, the special delivery courier of Bondolio Nuovo to Norma Bond the host of the thanksgiving dinner for the Bond family. Norma is a retired school teacher living in the woods of the Sierra Nevada just outside the Lassen National Park. Norma is 93 years young, a retired school teacher, a licensed private pilot and Malcolm’s mom. ...

We dropped off samples of Bondolio Nuovo Olio to the California Olive Oil Council for extra virgin certification. Each year Bondolio must be tested to insure the oil complies with COOC requirements of both a chemical analysis and a sensory evaluation. After a short visit with COOC Patty, Lisa and Ingred we popped into the Berkeley Pasta Shop for some take out. Malcolm was gawking at the rack of olive oils where he soon heard the voice of Linda, a senior Pasta Shop buyer ask “do you need some advice on olive oil?” Malcolm answered, “Nope, just very proud to see our Bondolio on your shelf of fine olive oils”and then introduced himself. Another senior buyer ‘Steve’ joined the conversation about Bondolio....

When Karen received a phone call from Jerome Waag she almost fell over. Jerome is chef at Chez Panisse since the 1990’s and told Karen he wanted to try Bondolio at the restaurant. So, yesterday we hand delivered a case of our Nuovo Olio to general manager Jennifer Sherman. We are very much honored by this kind of recognition by the legendary restaurant created by Alice Waters. And whether we deserve this kind of recognition or not, this is a major event in the life of Bondolio and it encourages us to continue our passion of producing the finest olive oil available from...

At this point in time, after the majority of the milling season is behind us, and after counting more than 100 pizzas from the Bondolio oven, maybe it’s time to answer the question: ‘How did Karen become such a good pizza chef?’. The answer is simple. Karen, being Karen where everything is about passions and competition, went to the Tonino School of Pizza. Actually, the owner of Tonino Pizzeria, Bologna, Italy, graciously agreed to open a couple hours early one Spring day in 2014 to help Karen learn the nuances of making a Napolitana Pizza – some secrets cannot be shared but for sure a fine pizza includes learning the art of the thin crust. In this photo, Karen is working closely with Sig Tonino. The passion for the pizza is obvious in this photo. Karen made dough, prepared the ‘mozzarella’, cooked the tomato and on and on for most of the day. Then rolled individual rolls of dough and applied the toppings then, olive oil. At some point Karen apparently achieved a threshold of quality. Sig Tonino was so pleased with Karen’s progress that she was allowed to serve her pizza to a couple tables of locals out for mid day meal. That’s like making podium in a 12 mile TT! Congratulations Karen!!...

Bondolio New Oil Event December 13, 2015 10 AM to 4 PM What is new oil? It’s commonly known as nouvelle or, in Italy, ‘nuovo olio’. At Bondolio we adopt the Italian and say New Oil. This will be our second New Oil event and it’s all about enjoying an Italian tradition. Between mid September through the beginning of November, in many regions of Southern Italy, farms start harvesting their olives which are then taken immediately to local mills to squeeze the olive to give up its fruit juice, oil. During this time of year the olives are only mostly green and at the beginning stages of changing color, a sign of fruit ripening. It is at this green stage is when the olive contains oil of the least degree of acidity. And for Karen, this is when the olive oil contains the optimal flavor for her pallate. We will have our pizza oven making flat bread onto which our new oil will be drizzled. This is classic Italian life in the Fall – tasting the new oil fresh from your local olive farm! We know you will enjoy the slightly spicy taste, the grassy flavors, and the wonderful aromas. The same experience really does fill the air in rural villages throughout southern Italy. Stop by Bondolio for an experience you normally have to travel thru 8 time zones to...

What a privilege and an honor to have an olive oil pioneer in our midst. Here Karen and master miller Gary Engle visit with Nick Sciabica the grandson of the man that created the first olive mill in California – that would be in 1936! Amazing experience. It was like having the Dean of the University of all things Olive Oil walking with us in the mill and through the orchard. Incredible, humbling experience. Small world. Nick’s grandfather was born in Marsala, Sicily. Just so happens a couple years ago Karen and I worked for a week in Marsala and had time to visit one of their museums. This archaeological museum has most of the hull of a war ship from the first of the Punic Wars dating back 241 B.C. How is that possible? The wood was held together by copper nails and when it was found resting on the bottom of the Mediterranean, it was largely intact! We also ventured out to see the Sicilian salt farms still powered by wind mills that exchange sea water with the evaporative...

Yesterday the last 40 liters of the 2014 harvest was delivered to The Quail and Olive in Carmel Valley. This store has an interesting clinical history. The idea of a boutique offering only the highest quality, California sourced olive oils and vinegars was conceived of by Stephen and Deb Brabeck. As a practicing cardiologist, Steve has had a unique perspective to observe a link between the prevention of chronic illness such heart disease and the chemistry of the oil from olives. The Brabecks decided to take the doctor’s clinical knowledge and passion into a commercial enterprise. Today The Quail and Olive of Carmel Valley is now an important member of the Bondolio family. http://www.quailandolive.com/olive-oils/...

Karen hits the blue Start button on the Bondolio mill and as fast as you can say Pieralisi the new ‘eco friendly’ mill came alive. The new mill is modeled after the many mills Karen and Malcolm visited in Southern Italy and Sicily and features tile floor, tile walls, and zero waste!

You are preordering, and securing your bottle of Bondolio’s 2016 Harvest Nouvelle Olive Oil in our 250ml or 500ml sizes. By preordering, you will receive your 2016 Nouvelle olive oil by Christmas. What’s Nouvelle? Nouvelle Oil is our freshest oil just harvested and pressed which is only available during Christmas. The oil is the most pungent, fruity, and favorable at this time of year. The oil will become more mild with time and the quality of our oil should last you three years. Nouvelle oil is extremely limited, and is based on a first come, first served basis. Place your order now to secure your bottle! ORDERS WILL ARRIVE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Click your size to pre-order: ...

MEET A NEW COOC BOARD MEMBER: KAREN BOND Karen’s career in healthcare technology spans more than 30 years, beginning with Smith-Kline Beckman (GlaxoSmithKline) in 1977. At GlaxoSmithKline, she served as the Worldwide Medical Sales Manager for the medical imaging division. In 1985, she joined Loredan Biomedical, a manufacturer of computerized physical therapy equipment, as Vice President of World Wide Sales and later became President. Karen has served as CEO of Cedaron Medical since 1990 when she co-founded the company. She earned a M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh. Karen is the co-owner of Bondolio Olive Oil Company based in Winters. Karen and her husband Malcolm nurture the production and marketing of this award winning olive oil. From the COOC Newsletter April...

Visit some of our new retailers all across the United States! We Olive Ventura in Ventura, CA We Olive Paso Robles in Paso Robles, CA We Olive and Wine Bar Reno in Reno, NV We Olive & Wine Bar Brooklyn in Brooklyn, NY The Quail and Olive in Carmel Valley, CA Moburts in Topeka, KS The Pasta Shop – 4th Street in Berkeley,...

Bondolio is exhibiting with the California Olive Oil Council at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco this weekend (January 11-13,2015)! Come visit us at Booth #364 along with other COOC California Olive Oil producers....

About the COOC The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) is a non-profit trade and marketing association whose purpose is to promote the production and consumption of California extra virgin olive oil. The COOC supports certified extra virgin olive oil standards and provides grower, producer and consumer education. Visit the COOC website You can find the 2015 COOC Seal of Certification on all of Bondolio’s 2015 bottles. Purchasing olive oil with this seal means your are truly buying the very best! About the Certification “When you purchase olive oil with the COOC Seal of Certification, you know you are buying the best extra virgin olive oil made in California. Let’s face it: many of the olive oils on the market today claim to be extra virgin, but aren’t. To give consumers confidence they are purchasing 100% extra virgin olive oil, the COOC created the COOC Certification Program. In the certification program, California producers submit their olive oil for sensory evaluation, where a panel of certified tasters conducts a blind tasting, and chemical analysis, rigorous lab testing to confirm acidity levels and other aspects of the oil are on target. Only after the oil has passed both tests, does it earn the right to display the COOC seal. Purchasing olive oil with the COOC means you are buying fresh, California grown, 100% extra virgin olive oil, the healthiest and most delicious olive oil on the market today. Look for the California Olive Oil Council’s seal with the current harvest year on it to ensure you are purchasing certified extra virgin olive oil from California”! The full list of COOC certified olive oils, including Bondolio, can be found at: http://cooc.com on...

Join Bondolio in helping hand pick the olives that make our award winning olive oil! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience how an olive harvest works with a real Italian olive oil mill. After harvest, you can taste the olive oil fresh out of our mill! It is recommended to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty in, such as: jeans or shorts, boots, hats, and gloves or other comfortable farm clothing! Be prepared to work and most importantly, have fun! Arrive early as picking will begin at 7am. A build your own pizza lunch will be provided from our wood burning pizza oven! The harvest is RSVP only. Please click “RSVP HERE” below or email us at orders@bondolio.com Click here...

The Bondolio Team is honored to win Best in Show, Best in Class and Two Gold Medals at the 10th Annual California Olive Oil Competition, presented by The Yolo County Fair. These local awards are a wonderful addition to the International Awards we’ve won earlier last month in New York and Los Angeles. ...

The Bondolio Team is excited to announce that we have won GOLD at the annual 2014 Los Angeles Extra-Virgin International Olive Oil Competition. In it’s fifteenth year, the Northern Hemisphere Competition received 561 extra-virgin olive oils from 306 producers. Gold medals were awarded to extra virgin olive oils from Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United States. After winning Gold in New York last week, Bondolio is proud to win another Gold on the other side of the United States, Los...

The Bondolio Team is honored once again to win gold in the prestigious New York International Olive Oil Competition. 651 entries from 25 countries all among 24 categories, were judged by an international panel of experts over four days of judging to identify the best extra virgin olive oils for 2014. Bondolio is honored to win GOLD and to be recognized on the rarified list of Best Olive Oils for 2014. “Aromas of green fruit, green grass, exotic fruits, citrus, apple, banana and notes of herbs, flower, tomato. Taste exhibits abundant fruitiness, green leaves, sweetness, bitterness, medium pungency and notes of almond, walnut, artichoke, radish, black pepper, grass, with exceptional harmony, a high complexity and a high persistence.” – NYIOOC 2014...

Bondolio Olive Oil will be offering an olive oil tasting at Union Market in Washington, DC, on Sunday, April 6, 2014. The tasting will be hosted by All Things Olive, a Maryland-based retailer of California extra virgin olive oils. The event signifies Bondolio’s first presence on the East Coast. Karen Bond, owner of Bondolio Olive oil, said, “We’re excited that Bondolio Olive oil is now available in the Washington, DC area. All Things Olive focuses on the best extra virgin olive oils being produced in California today, and it’s an honor to be included among them.” “We too are excited about Bondolio joining our lineup of outstanding extra virgin olive oils from California,” said Keith Voight of All Things Olive. “Bondolio produces a very fine oil, and I know that it will be a huge hit in the Washington area.” The tasting will feature Bondolio’s award-winning Sicilian-style olive oil. The late harvest oil is pressed from a blend of Nocellara, Biancollila and Cerasuola varietals, which produces a delicate and buttery oil. More information about at All Things Olive...

We are excited to announce, once again our olive oil has been certified as being 100% extra virgin oil by the California Olive Oil Council! Purchasing olive oil certified by the COOC means you are buying freshest, California grown, 100% extra virgin olive oil that is the healthiest and most delicious olive oil on the market today. We are honored once again by this recognition! You can find the 2014 COOC Seal of Certification on all of our 2014 bottles. Purchasing olive oil with this seal means your are truly buying the very best! Learn more about the COOC...

About the COOC The California Olive Oil Council (COOC) is a non-profit trade and marketing association whose purpose is to promote the production and consumption of California extra virgin olive oil. The COOC supports certified extra virgin olive oil standards and provides grower, producer and consumer education. Visit the COOC website You can find the 2014 COOC Seal of Certification on all of Bondolio’s 2014 bottles. Purchasing olive oil with this seal means your are truly buying the very best! About the Certification “When you purchase olive oil with the COOC Seal of Certification, you know you are buying the best extra virgin olive oil made in California. Let’s face it: many of the olive oils on the market today claim to be extra virgin, but aren’t. To give consumers confidence they are purchasing 100% extra virgin olive oil, the COOC created the COOC Certification Program. In the certification program, California producers submit their olive oil for sensory evaluation, where a panel of certified tasters conducts a blind tasting, and chemical analysis, rigorous lab testing to confirm acidity levels and other aspects of the oil are on target. Only after the oil has passed both tests, does it earn the right to display the COOC seal. Purchasing olive oil with the COOC means you are buying fresh, California grown, 100% extra virgin olive oil, the healthiest and most delicious olive oil on the market today. Look for the California Olive Oil Council’s seal with the current harvest year on it to ensure you are purchasing certified extra virgin olive oil from California”! The full list of COOC certified olive oils, including Bondolio, can be...

Bondolio is excited today to announce that we have won another Gold Medal! Just released, the results of the 2013 California Mid-State Fair Olive Oil Competition Presented by the Central Coast Olive Oil Competition. This brings Bondolio to the 8th award won in the 2012-2013 season. 2013 Gold Medal winner (California Mid-State Fair) ...

The Bondolio Team is honored once again to win gold in the prestigious New York International Olive Oil Competition. Nearly 700 entries from 25 countries were judged by an international panel of experts over four days of judging to identify the best extra virgin olive oils for 2014. Bondolio is honored to be on the rarified list of Best Olive Oils for 2014. “Aromas of green fruit, green grass, exotic fruits, citrus, apple, banana and notes of herbs, flower, tomato. Taste exhibits abundant fruitiness, green leaves, sweetness, bitterness, medium pungency and notes of almond, walnut, artichoke, radish, black pepper, grass, with exceptional harmony, a high complexity and a high persistence.” – NYIOOC 2014...

Bondolio is excited to announce that we have won two more awards! Just released, the results of the 2013 California Olive Oil Competition Presented by the Napa County Fair. This brings Bondolio to the fourth award won in the 2012-2013 season. Hopefully more to follow. Bondolio Winning in the Following Categories: Best In Show in Delicate Intensity Gold Medal in Delicate Intensity Best In Class in Delicate Intensity...

Bondolio is excited to announce that we now produce an Award Winning Olive Oil! Just released today, the results of the 2013 California Olive Oil Competition Presented by the Yolo County Fair. Bondolio Winning in the Following Categories: Gold Medal in OTHER BLENDS – Delicate Intensity Best In Class in DELICATE...

Last week, Karen Personally dropped of Bondolio Olive Oil to Victoria Acosta, Executive Chef, at the Grill at Meadowood Resort in St. Helena. Victoria will be using Bondolio as a finishing oil at the restaurant. Thank you so much Victoria for choosing our oil! We are so honored -Meadowood Napa Valley!...

All our hardwork in 2012 has paid off, we just bottled our new 2012-2013 oil! Place your order on bondolio.com for pickup or delivery, it smells so fresh and fruity. We are also excited to announce we just changed our label to a lighter and cleaner look for the new 2012-2013 harvest....